Issues in Interpreting Revelationcampus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C4Schoo.pdfChurch History Repeated Pattern Powers of evil in the wicked at all times Strengths of Different

Interpreting Revelation

Vern Sheridan PoythressWestminster Theological Seminary

CC BY-SA 4.0

A. Dangers and Rewards

Extreme Responses

Repulsion

Unhealthy interest

Dealing with Disputes

The interpretive challenge (Swete, p. ccvii)

and patience (Prov. 14:15)

Spirituallychallenging.

Encouragements about Rev.

Revelation is inspired Scripture. God knew the difficulties. Profitable, 2 Tim. 3:17. For servants of Christ, Rev. 1:1. With explicit blessing, Rev. 1:3.

Let's getgoing.

Relevance to Our Time

It always speaks to people under persecution.

Dispensationalism needs a positive answer.

It attacks modern sins.

Attack on Sins

Symbolically deep Supernatural Theocentric Exposing sin Exposing idolatry

Disp. Literalism Modernist unbelief Secularist atheism Hedonism False religion

Resources in Scholarship

themes Biblical theology M. G. Kline on theophany

Discourse linguistics showing structure

genre Interest in apocalyptic

Renewing Your Mind

Western Culture

escape,renewal

Glory of God in Revelation

Envisioning the Future

View offuture

Dealing with bewilderment

Grasping possibilities

God’s mind Cosmic

framework New values

Robert Scholes (Structural Fabulation, p. 19), quoting Olaf Stapledon, preface to Last and First Men:

Beauty of Revelation

‘‘Within this elaborate plan [of 7 7’s] is developed the action of a prophetic poem unsurpassed in sacred or profane literature in either the grandeur of its poetic imagery, or the superb sweep of its prophetic vision.’’ (B. B. Warfield: Selected Short Writings 2:86).

B. Four Major Views about Interpretation

Why Look at Others’ Views?

Learn from others. Don’t blindly adopt an approach. One’s choice affects all of Revelation. No one view fits all the Scripture.

Time of Fulfillment

When is the primary fulfillment?

First Coming Second Coming

?

The four views differ about the primary time of fulfillment of Revelation.

Roman Empire View (Preterist)

Beckwith (pp. 334-35): “fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the Roman Empire.”

primary fulfillment

All inthe past.

Two Strands ofRoman Empire View

Modernist extreme: wholly in first century.

Moderate: first century is chief focus.

Final Crisis View (Futurist)

Fulfillment occurs in the events of the final crisis immediately preceding the Second Coming.

All inthe future.

Two Strands of Final Crisis Pretribulationist places 4:1-19:21 after the Rapture.

Rapture

Posttribulationist, usually more moderate, sees the bulk as relating to final crisis before Rapture.

Rapture

Church History View (Historicist)

Morris (p. 17): “setting out … the history of western Europe … until the second coming of Christ.”

Rev 6-19 is in chronological order.

Two Strands of Church History Straight-line historicist treats Rev 6-19 as in chronological order.

Recapitulationist finds a number of recapitulations and nonchronological order in Rev 6-19.

But recapitulationist is really a fifth view.

Repeated Pattern View (Idealist)

Tenney (p. 143): “… represents the eternal conflict of good and evil which persists in every age.”

Two Types of Repeated Pattern

Consistent idealist: Eternal conflict, with no reference to specific events.

Moderate idealist: repeated fulfillment

Summary of Views

Roman Empire

Final Crisis

Church History

Repeated Pattern

C. How the Four Major Views Work in Practice

Interpreting Rev 13:1-8 (Beast)

Roman Emperor/Empire

Final Antichrist The Pope

Persecuting dominion wherever it appears

Roman Empire

Final Crisis Church

History Repeated

Pattern

Locusts of Rev. 9:1-11

Roman decadence

Future locusts; or evil powers

Islamic invasion

Roman Empire

Final Crisis

Church History

Repeated Pattern

Interpreting Rev 9:1-11 (cont.)

Islamic invasion crowns women’s hair five months

Church History

150 years

Mohammed openshis mission

612 762

Caliphate toBaghdad

Interpreting Rev. 9:1-11 (cont.)

Roman decadence

Future locusts; or evil powers

Islamic invasion

Roman Empire

Final Crisis

Church History

Repeated Pattern Powers of evil in the

wicked at all times

Strengths of Different Views

Relevance to 7 churches.

Climax at Second Coming (22:20; 19:11-21).

Draw a line between the two dates.

Seize common principle; Satan as unoriginal.

Roman Empire

Final Crisis

Church History

Repeated Pattern

Transition from Roman Empire to Final Crisis View

Add a second fulfillment

Transition from Final Crisis to Roman Empire View

Add a foreshadowing

Transition from Church History to Final Crisis View

Compress the time line

Transition from Church History to Repeated Pattern View

Recapitulate

Transition from Repeated Pattern to Another View

Find a primary fulfillment of the pattern

Variant Views Early Roman Empire: Fulfillment in the

fall of Jerusalem Recapitulationist.

Revelation portrays the entire course of history from Roman times to the Second Coming, with the symbols possibly having more than one em-bodiment and with several “recapitulatory” accounts of this period.

D. Clarity of Revelation

Revealing (1:1)

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known …

unveiling, disclosureChrist knows

our need

show, notkeep in the dark

to his servants (you!)made known

God’splan

Blessing for Reading (1:3)

The only book of the Bible with an explicit blessing for reading. Extra encouragement.

“Keep” means it’s practical. Strengthening the heart, not tickling the fancy.

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it.”

Are Its Symbols Difficult?

Unfamiliar Apocalyptic Need OT

background

It’s obvious.

Yes No

Fearsome!Hideous!

It’s Simple

A picture book, not a puzzle book. For children also.

Hmm.… Let’s see now. What does the “locust” of Rev. 9 mean? The “horse” part must refer to one of the months of the Chinese calendar. “Crowns of gold” must refer to Babylonian kings. “Women’s hair” surely suggests that it is women who will bring about the final downfall of mankind. “Scorpion tails” … hmm... Now let me see.

See the Whole

College Student

Awesome!It’s a monster!

1st Grader

Confidence in God

Don’t be the “expert.”

You can’t possiblyunderstand

without my help!

You’re right.I give up.

Encourage.

Look at God'sgreatness!

The Majesty of Christ

Christ is our friend (John 15:14-15). He is also our majestic, awesome king!

Not a tame lion!

E. Symbolism

Why the Dispute over Revelation?

clear controverted

?symbolismDue to:

and yet

Meaning of a Symbol

Two Approaches to Symbols

1. Code

One referent Meaning = referent Isolated

2. Multifaceted

Multiple allusions Multifaceted impact Holistic

Decoding by the Schools

Beast Roman Emperor

Beast Future Antichrist

Beast Pope

Beast IdolatrousGovernment

Prophecy is Poetic

LocustPlague

(Joel 1-2)

Day of the LordLiteral locusts

Enemy army(Babylonians?)

Theophany

Final judgment

Expanded Understanding of Prophetic Fulfillment

A

1

Prop

het’s

own t

ime

Capti

vity a

nd

Resto

ratio

n2

Chris

t’s Fi

rst

Comi

ng

3

Second Coming

4

Adapted from Irving Jensen, Bible Study Charts

Olivet Discourse (Luke 21)

Adapted from Irving Jensen, Bible Study Charts

tribulation

fall ofJerusalem

70 A.D.

tribulation

Secondfall of

Jerusalem

Double Perspective of Olivet Discourse

Rev. 17:9 Has Two Referents

7 heads of the Beast

7 hillson which

the woman sits.

(17:9)

7 kings,5 of whomhave fallen.

(17:10)

More Than Two Planes of Interacting Meaning

Referent (Roman Emperor?). Hideous monstrosity (repulsiveness). Combination of beasts from Daniel 7. With background of Genesis 1-3,

where beasts are subordinate to man.

BeastFor

God-Centered Symbolism

GodGod in theophany is rich, multifaceted, nonexhaustible, Trinitarian.

Symbolism of Revelation is multifaceted.

Schools' Decoding Is Inadequate

Beast Roman Emperor

Beast Future Antichrist

Beast Pope

Beast IdolatrousGovernment

F. A Positive Approach

Attractions of the Schools

RP

CH

FC

RE I’m not sure.They all look good.

Insightful!

God Is Involved with Us God loves 7 churches. God will come. God loves us NOW. God is the same at all

times.

Roman Empire Final Crisis Application NOW Repeated

God iscentral

Satan’s Repeated Pattern

Satan as a creature must imitate God; he cannot create anything new.

Since God is the same, Satanic counterfeiting is the same for all times.

Spiritual war shows a constant pattern. Satan suffers repeated defeats.

God’scharacter

Satan’s Pattern

Nothingnew here.

Some Truth in All Four

God is always the same. God rules all history. Spiritual warfare is always the same.

RPCHFCRE

All apply the same spiritual

principles.

Evidence for Multiple Fulfillment

Flexible imagery. Speaks to people in all times. Evidence for all. Necessity of repeating counterfeiting.

Starting with Repeated Pattern

Symbol

General principle

Embodied in other approaches

NOW

From Symbol to Application

Symbol

Truthsymbolized

Referentin Rome(or other)

Generalizedtruth

Contemporaryapplication

From Symbol to Application in Repeated Pattern View

ContemporaryapplicationSymbol

Generalizedtruth

Fourfold Interpretation

First century embodiment Final embodiment Embodiment NOW A general principle

represents

Roman Final Church Repeated

A Symbol

G. Insight of Roman Empire View

Evidence for Roman View

Rev. 2-3. General principle of relevance to

original audience. Nearness of the “time,” 1:1, 3; 22:10. Christ threatens to “come” in 2:5, 16;

3:11.

H. Insight of Final Crisis View

The Endpoint of Fulfillment

Endpoint when Christ comes, 22:12, 20.

For NT church, the Second Coming is next on the “calendar,” 2 Thess. 1-2.

22:20 is prayer associated with Second Coming (cf. 1 Cor. 16:22).

Does Revelation Focus on an Earlier “Coming”?

Rev. 2:5; 2:16; 3:11 speak of Christ “coming”

He judges the churches, short of final judgment

This context qualifies 2:5, etc., but not 1:7; 2:12-17; 11:18; 22:7, 20; etc.

Rev. as a whole offers a cosmic context.

Nearness of Second Coming

Preliminary judgments foreshadow the climactic judgment.

Nearness is “structural”: 1 John 2:18.

Nearness

OneAntichrist

Manyantichrists

I. Insight of Repeated Pattern View

Universal Revelance

Revelation is canon, relevant to now (2 Tim. 3:17).

Addresses servants of God, 1:1; 22:6, 18. “he who has an ear,” 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13,

22. Pattern of spiritual war is constant. Flexible symbolism. Rev. 1:1 references Dan. 2:45.

Dan. 2:45 and Rev. 1:1; 4:1

What? The eschatological kingdom of God.

OT eschatological prophecy, in the process of realiz- ation (inaugurated eschatology)

“what must takeplace” ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα (Rev. 4:1)

ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα (Dan. 2:45 Theodotion)

Daniel and John

Daniel

Eschatologicalfulfillment

LXX: “inthe last days”

John

"soon"

Interpreting RevelationA. Dangers and RewardsExtreme ResponsesDealing with DisputesEncouragements about Rev.Relevance to Our TimeAttack on SinsResources in ScholarshipRenewing Your MindEnvisioning the FutureBeauty of RevelationB. Four Major Views about InterpretationWhy Look at Others’ Views?Time of FulfillmentRoman Empire View (Preterist)Two Strands of Roman Empire ViewFinal Crisis View (Futurist)Two Strands of Final CrisisChurch History View (Historicist)Two Strands of Church HistoryRepeated Pattern View (Idealist)Two Types of Repeated PatternSummary of ViewsC. How the Four Major Views Work in PracticeInterpreting Rev 13:1-8 (Beast)Locusts of Rev. 9:1-11Interpreting Rev 9:1-11 (cont.)Interpreting Rev. 9:1-11 (cont.)Strengths of Different ViewsTransition from Roman Empire to Final Crisis ViewTransition from Final Crisis to Roman Empire ViewTransition from Church History to Final Crisis ViewTransition from Church History to Repeated Pattern ViewTransition from Repeated Pattern to Another ViewVariant ViewsD. Clarity of RevelationRevealing (1:1)Blessing for Reading (1:3)Are Its Symbols Difficult?It’s SimpleSee the WholeConfidence in GodThe Majesty of ChristE. SymbolismWhy the Dispute over Revelation?Slide 55Two Approaches to SymbolsDecoding by the SchoolsProphecy is PoeticExpanded Understanding of Prophetic FulfillmentOlivet Discourse (Luke 21)Rev. 17:9 Has Two ReferentsMore Than Two Planes of Interacting MeaningGod-Centered SymbolismSlide 64F. A Positive ApproachAttractions of the SchoolsGod Is Involved with UsSatan’s Repeated PatternSome Truth in All FourEvidence for Multiple FulfillmentStarting with Repeated PatternFrom Symbol to ApplicationFrom Symbol to Application in Repeated Pattern ViewFourfold InterpretationG. Insight of Roman Empire ViewEvidence for Roman ViewH. Insight of Final Crisis ViewThe Endpoint of FulfillmentDoes Revelation Focus on an Earlier “Coming”?Nearness of Second ComingNearnessI. Insight of Repeated Pattern ViewUniversal RevelanceDan. 2:45 and Rev. 1:1; 4:1Daniel and John